To See The King

Chapter 8

The Royal Visitor's Chambers adjacent to the main vestibule at Buckingham Palace played host to the Officials of the Royal Commission attempting to solve the mystery of the misspent two thousand rockets. The Commission headed by Ex-Prime Minister Winston Churchill also consisted of the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Marquis of Chumley and General Sir William Cross. This crisp clear Sunday on October 1946 also saw one Hundred thousand Londoners patiently awaiting a sight of their beloved King. It was for this reason that

His Majesty had elected to travel by Royal Carriage to Gatwick rather than Helicopter from the Palace. Mustn't disappoint One Hundred Thousand Subjects.

His Majesty stood at the full length mirror checking the fit of his tunic. The General remarked, "Absolutely amazing, that magnificent train didn't receive a scratch." The phone rang.

The valet, Duncan Rams-Bottomley who gestured to the General, answered it. The conversation was all one sided after the General's curt hello. The room was motionless while the General listened for a good five minutes.

"Wonderful, dear boy, keep on it", the General said and hung up.

"Good news, your majesty. That so called radio found in Queen Victoria's Dining Salon was really a German Homing device. Locked into the signal were the V-1 Rockets. That device was planted in the train. The motive had to be to save London as the train always traveled in the country. Military intelligence informs us that whoever transferred this device not only saved London from all those rockets but caused Germany to scrap the operation due to its apparent failure."

The King raised his hand as he paced the room. "Something very much amiss," he said. "Heroism such as this warrants the Victoria Cross. Why has the individual not come forward? Why did he not become known at the time? Surely the radio and news Journals have advised the country of the two thousand misspent rockets. This good soul, for some reason, won't or can't come forth."

"Your Majesty?"

"Yes William?"

"We do have a lead. Records show the engineer of the train to be Mr. 0asey Ryan. He lives at the Betsy Henry Pub at Crumbsford Alley, Shoreditch section, an area of questionable character. There is actually a Betsy Henry or rather a Betsy Ryan. They were married recently and adopted a war orphan, Patrick Carrington."

The Valet interrupted, "Excuse me, Sir. Did you say Patrick Carrington?"

"Yes, I did."

"I fought with Paul Carrington with the British Expeditionary Forces. He told me of his son Patty. Paul has a brother, James, a Major in the Army."

"Thank you, Dunc" Churchill replied, "I think I'll get that off to the Yard and M.I. 5."

Across town near the Betsy Henry Pub, a new family was attending services at a small community church. This was the Casey Ryan family and his adopted son Patrick was able to convince his new parents to visit a church, any church. While Patrick had been a Sunday school regular before the war, Casey and Betsy had been in church only once and that was just recently when they were married.

It was time for the sermon and the Minister started, "Two years ago near a town called Brest on the Northwest coast of France. I served with the Royal Medical Corps. Brest had only been liberated about two weeks and the Allies were rapidly ridding the countryside of the German occupational forces. Two stretcher bearers brought in my brother. He had been shot in the chest by a sniper. Before he died, he told me that he did not turn the other cheek. He tried to laugh as the blood trickled out his mouth. He added, 'You shoulda' seen the other guy'. I emptied my clip into that kraut and when he fell out of the tree, he was cut in half."